Science Proves Why Double Dipping Officially Makes You The Worst Person At The Party

You know what's the absolute worst? When you're at a party eating some, delicious dip and you don't scoop enough dip onto your chip to eat the whole thing. Now you're left, with half a chip, staring into the bowl not knowing what your next plan of action should be. Do you suck it up and eat the rest of your sad, boring chip alone? Do you flip it over and dip with the other side? Do you look around the room to make sure no one's watching and *gasp* double dip? Science (and a group of undergraduate researchers at Clemson University) are here to tell you that you should never, under any circumstances, double dip your chip—especially if you still want to have any friends and be a decent person.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

If you thought that simply biting your chip (or cracker or whatever you dip with) couldn't possibly spread that many germs, you were wrong. According to their study, the researchers at Clemson found an additional 1000 bacteria per milliliter of water on crackers that had been bitten compared to those that hadn't been bitten. That's a lot of bacteria. Do you feel a little sick yet? Us, too.

The study compared three different kinds of dips: salsa, chocolate dip, and cheese dip, which each have different thickness levels and varying pH levels. The dips were tested immediately after use with an unbitten cracker and after use with a bitten cracker, and then again two hours later to see how the germs spread over time. Are you ready for the results? We weren't.

Paul Dawson

Most Popular

The dips that were tested with unbitten crackers had (surprise) no detectable bacteria. The dips that were tested with bitten crackers, however, were a completely different story. The chocolate dip and cheese dip took on about 150 to 200 bacteria per milliliter after being used with a bitten cracker. The salsa (this is where it gets really gross) gained an extra 1000 bacteria per milliliter after contact with a bitten cracker. EWWWWW.

After two hours, the salsa dropped down to the same bacteria levels as the chocolate and cheese dips, though. The salsa wasn't as thick as the other two dips, which means it was more likely that the dip would come in contact with the bitten chip and then fall back into the bowl. It's also more acidic than the other two dips, which is why it was able to fight off some of the bacteria over time.

Humans, even if they aren't sick, have a disgustingly high number of bacteria in their mouth at all times. You cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough to prevent germs from spreading, so why would you think it's okay to dip an object that just came in direct contact with your mouth into a bowl of communal food? Don't be that person. Try this trick instead.